Dreams
by eelyrehc
Summary: Now that Aizen has dominated Hueco Mundo, he wants something that only Naruto has. After an altercation between Konoha's ninjas and two of the Espada in the human world, Kakashi's squad carries out a mission to eliminate the worlds new threat while meeting others along the way.
1. Prelude

A/N: This is an update, I thought that now I have an actual plot it'd be nice if the first part made sense hahaha xD But anyway, thank you for reading the prelude of my fanfic! :D This is my very first story so I apologise for inaccurate information, I haven't watched Bleach in so long but I love it :3 This is just a short chapter to lead into the more fun parts of the fic :D I hope you like it!

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><p><em>PRELUDE<em>

The Garganta tears the dimensional fabric separating an Arrancars world from both soul society and the human world, determining where they can arrive. "Where are we this time Ulquiorra?" echoed a loud voice, slightly annoyed. "Lord Aizen wants us to investigate these spiritual energies, especially one in particular.", replied ulquiorra.

"What business does Aizen have with simple humans? We have better things to do than waste our time here, I still wanna settle the score with carrot top. The only thing decent about the human world is the fact that there's far more things to do here than in that dump, Hueco Mundo", Yammy spat through his locked jaw.

"Humans are trash. I don't know what Lord Aizen wants from them but it must have significant value." Ulquiorra replied nonchalantly. He swiftly lifted his hand and caught a kunai between his index and middle finger, "Absolute trash", he uttered under his breath to himself as he flicked the small weapon back to the bush from where it came just before they were completely surrounded by Konaha's ninjas. "Heh", scoffed Yammy, "Ichigo kurosaki can wait, this might be interesting after all Ulquiorra."

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><p>Naruto leaned against a tree, annoyed at Kakashi for making him wait for him as he's done many times before but naruto found this especially annoying seeing as it was his day off. Although he couldn't deny that Kakashi's sudden summoning had piqued his interest. "Maybe he wants to train me? Maybe he even wants to nominate me as a jounin, I mean I am gonna be hokage one day, it's about time everyone recognizes my skill as Konaha's no.1 ninja!"<p>

"What's with that grin, Naruto?", Kakash's voice broke Naruto's innovative thoughts as his head snapped up to see his former teacher studying his face. "I never thought you of all people could look so.. Pensive", mused Kakashi.

Naruto folded his arms and quickly turned his head to the side, not even realising his lips had subconsciously curled into a wide grin while he was lost in thought. "Hey! Kakashi sensei, what's that supposed to mean!? And you're late! Again! Not to mention it's my day o-", Naruto had trouble picking his next words after he turned his gaze back to see Kakashi's sudden jaded expression.

"Kakashi sensei.. Why have you called me here?", Naruto asked solemnly. "Naruto", Kakashi started "I personally want you on my squad for an S rank mission beginning tomorrow although the Hokage wouldn't agree with my request. So, I want you to talk to her."

"What?!", Naruto exclaimed in complete exasperation with a tad tone of disappointment that it had nothing to do with his initial thoughts. "Why's the old lady so bent on making me stay in the village this time?", Naruto asked while he tightly crossed his arms across his chest.

"There was a strange incident where several of our ninjas were injured and some that had died mercilessly while in battle with nothing we've really seen before. A ninja from the Hyuuga clan managed to escape and report that the enemy didn't have any chakra points. The enemy wants you Naruto. We have reasons to believe that they want to posses the kyuubi but this is unlike any situation we've ever really been in. To be frank, I'm still trying to make sense out of it myself and I can't give you all the information you want to know unless you're a part of this mission.", Kakashi stated in a rather calm manner considering the circumstances.

Naruto's arms fell to his side, clenching his fists, his brows furrowing, his crystallised blue orbs staring through Kakashi, he parted his lips slightly, "I'll speak to Tsunade baa-chan now", Naruto whispered, almost inaudible. With that, Kakashi watched as Naruto was already far off into the distance with only a few leaves settling on the ground to mark he was ever there.

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><p>Tsunade sat at her desk hidden by a hoard of uncompleted documents and reports dating back to her early days as hokage and a new unopened bottle of sake. "What a way to end the day", she sighed to herself as she covered the lid with her hand, almost savouring the rare moment of relaxation that was all of a sudden fleeting right when she recognised a familiar chakra signature outside her door. Before she could react, Naruto was already stalking through her office and stopped at her desk while he propped himself up with his two hands on Tsunades desk.<p>

Tsunade inhaled deeply as she lifted her eyes from the bottle to the panting boy who stood before her. "So I assume you found out about Konaha's new threat?", she asked slightly irritated.

"Were you going to try hide this from me?!", Naruto asked seriously. "If there is something happening because of me-", Naruto paused as Tsunade's chair slid back and she was in his face before he could catch up with her movements.

"It's not you Naruto, it's what's inside of you that this is about, we have no idea what the enemy is capable of and I don't want you to be a part of anything until we have information about what we're up against.", Tsunade retorted impatiently. "We have to make sure you are kept safe right now."

"Don't underestimate me!", Naruto spat back, "People have always treated me differently for something I didn't choose.. If I'm worthy of becoming Hokage that means protecting Konaha including all of those people if they're in some sort of danger. So don't tell me this isn't about me when I'm the key to getting what they want."

The older woman stood up straight, letting her hands retreat off the table as her stare softened and her posture relaxed. "Heh", she scoffed with a small smile "You're still just a snot nosed little genin in my eyes but I know betting on you to be hokage is one bet I'd actually win." She sat down in her chair and signalled Naruto to sit in the chair on the other side of her desk. He silently obliged.

"I can't let you be a part of this mission when we are unaware of the enemies abilities and from where exactly they're from. You're strong, Naruto. But I can't have you blindly strolling into enemy territory when we're still at a large disadvantage.", Tsunade explained.

"Then you'll have to forgive me Tsunade baa-chan cos I'm going on this mission with Kakashi sensei regardless. No one is dying on my account." Naruto's resolute eyes held firmly on Tsunades hazel orbs. She did put her utmost faith in the blonde haired boy who was now a growing into a man she suspected could possibly surpass the fourth hokage. She knew she couldn't keep Naruto out of this and despite her better judgement she believed in the little brat she met all those years ago.

Tsunade sighed and placed her elbows on the table with her chin resting against the back of her hands. "You will be under Kakashi's care at all times, don't make me regret this Naruto" she said firmly.

Naruto's eyes lit up while he gave Tsunade a confident smile, "You got it Tsunade baa-chan. Whats the details?"

"Tomorrow morning you will be infiltrating enemy territory." Tsunade began "We believe it's called 'Hueco Mundo'."


	2. Hueco Mundo

A/N: I think I should mention that the era this is based on in Naruto is before the war, he is 16 in this story :) I hope you enjoy it! :D (As I said, sorry for inaccurate info!)

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><p>Chapter two<p>

_Hueco Mundo_

Ulquiorra stepped out of the Garganta and made his way to Aizen's headquarters. Behind him, Yammy had followed with a loud groan "I'll let you report back to Aizen with that creepy eye of yours, I've had enough for today" with that, Yammy turned his back to Ulquiorra and disappeared through the whirling sands of Las Noches.

Ulquiorra stared after him before he turned to go to Aizen to report his findings, which Ulquiorra couldn't deny were quite interesting. When he arrived at Aizen's door, he found that he was already engaged in deep conversation with the human prisoner, _'Orihime, is it?'_ he thought to himself.

"Your power is very exceptional Orihime, you will help me restore the hogyoku won't you?" Aizen asked.

"Yes, lord Aizen" replied Orihime sounding very despondent. The door opened and Ulquiorra watched as Orihime walked out, sparing a second glance at Ulquiorra while she was escorted back to her chamber by Loly and Menoly. Once Orihime had turned the corner, Aizen stepped into the doorway and spotted the grim looking Espada "Welcome back, Ulquiorra. Now, show me all you've learnt about those humans." Aizen said while turned around to walk back into the room.

As expected, Ulquiorra followed him into the large room containing the hogyoku and stood at a respectable distance as he waited for Aizen to sit back down on his throne. "Lord Aizen" Ulquiorra began "those humans in the world of the living could not only sense but could also physically see us during our investigation. They have high levels of chakra which I believe is harnessed as a weapon for the ultimate defence, they contain large amounts of spirit energy which can be converted to formidable amounts of spiritual pressure in the afterlife. They engaged with us during our visit to the world of the living, I will show you what we have learnt about their physical abilities."

Aizen leaned forward in his seat slightly as Ulquiorra proceeded to unbind his eye and abolish it with his right hand. Aizen closed his eyes and could see trees, bushes, blue sky and a faraway stone carving of what he presumed were historical figures, some sort of homage maybe. Looking through Ulquiorras perspective, he saw a short but sharp knife suddenly wedged between two fingers before it was flung back to the owner amidst a bush.

Aizen sat back in his chair when he found that the humans had efficiently and very quickly surrounded them but it didn't bother him in the least feeling confident in knowing the full capabilities of the Espada, the strongest of all arrancars in Hueco Mundo that he had created. There was not a doubt in his mind of their strength until he saw a roaring fire quickly encircling the espada as a wall of mud had engulfed Yammy just before it had turned into a hard layer of impenetrable rock.

Ulquiorra engaged in hand to hand combat, effectively dodging every weapon and jutsu that was thrown at him while he skilfully eliminated the enemy using a small cero to burn a hole in their chest, just where his was. The ones that decided to run, he didn't chase and the ones that were overcome with paralysing fear were spared as they posed no threat, they weren't worth the effort.

He had just about taken care of most of the ninjas when a human with satiny white hair had casually stood in front of the green eyed Espada, blocking his path. This human seemed calm and collected but the way he watched his comrades fall said otherwise. Ulquiorra couldn't help but reflect on how insignificant and unwarranted emotions were. Did they not know everyone they know would die eventually, especially if they are in battle? This was something he couldn't comprehend. Now this man was staring at him intensely with one lidded eye as the other was shadowed with a headband, this was only something that interested him further.

The white haired man didn't speak but instead lifted his headband on the part that fell over his right eye. Ulquiorra was now staring into a red iris with what looked like four singular pupils within it. He instantly broke the eye contact, sensing something had changed. He looked over towards Yammy who was now free from the bit of earth that trapped him and was sprinting towards him aggressively.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened slightly "What are you doing?" he asked somewhat irritated. Yammy didn't stop or answer him but instead viciously swung his fists toward him, Ulquiorra went to grab Yammy by the arm to put an end to his idiocy but when he came into contact with him, he saw he was only holding the large lump of dry mud his comrade was encased in.

His green eyes widened slightly as he was trying to make sense of what had just happened when suddenly his instincts had notified him of an incoming presence behind him. He turned quickly just in time to dodge the white haired ninja's fist which ended up colliding with the mud, causing cracks to form in the lump of earth as hard as stone.

"What you've just experienced was a genjutsu" the white haired man begun "Who and what are you and your friend over there? Why have you come here?" he questioned.

_"Genjutsu?"_ Ulquiorra echoed curiously to himself.

Ulquiorra lunged toward the man using a sonido but to his surprise, his opponent could only just follow his movements as he sprung back with what almost looked like some sort of flash step those pesky Shinigami use. '_Interesting_' thought Ulquiorra "One of you contains an incredible amount of spiritual energy. Tell me, who is it?" Ulquiorra demanded.

"And why would I tell you what you want to know exactly?" the white haired man said, almost in a mocking tone.

"So there is someone strong in this village." Ulquiorra uttered to himself. "I will spare this place if you give the individual up to me. I can see you know who I'm talking about" he spoke with confidence, using a psychological approach to coax his opponent into giving him the information he needed to know about this individual.

"No one here will give up one of our own." The white haired man replied with confidence in knowing that was the truth.

"You humans are stubborn. You'll tell me or I'll kill you right now and everyone else in this village."

"You're ignorant if you think you can destroy Konoha, populated with some of the best ninjas the world has seen" the white haired man said huskily as he ran towards Ulquiorra, a chittering ball of blue light forming in his hands. "Enough talk."

Ulquiorra stood his ground, readying for hand to hand combat but while he was assessing his opponents fast movements and the increasingly loud bolts of light radiating out of his hand, Ulquiorra realized this attack was too strong to come into physical contact with, he lifted his hand, aiming his fingers straight towards his enemies chest and fired a cero, a straight ray of green light shot straight through the white haired ninja, and the light in his hand diminished while he fell to the ground.

Ulquiorra walked towards the still body on the ground, observing his features, his red lifeless eye that still stared straight at him. 'Interesting' he thought to himself again until a loud chittering noise disrupted his thought process. The body in front of him vanished, leaving only smoke behind and Ulquiorra spun around only to see outstretched fingers penetrating the left side of his chest, right next to the hole in the middle.

The green eyed espada looked up from his chest and stared into that one peculiar red eye once again. His insides burned, this pain was unlike anything a mere human could inflict on a being like himself, he knew he had to get away from the chittering light before it came out the other side of him, leaving him disadvantaged until he could regenerate the unnatural hole that was burning its way to his back.

He began to lift his arm to grab the wrist the hand belonged to, breaking it if he had to but to Ulquiorras surprise, it was almost as if the white haired ninja had foreseen this and used that flash step-like technique to leap away at a safe distance.

_"So his intention isn't to kill me"_ Ulquiorra confirmed, almost amused at the thought of a human believing they had the power to do so. The sound of cracks and rubble coming from where Yammy had been held captive in a solid slab of mud had caused the green eyed Espada to turn his attention towards the monstrous looking Arrancar breaking out of the rock and escaping the small bits of mud that refused to let him go.

"These humans are idiotic to think they can hold me down with something so mundane like mud, that's nothing. But what gets me is why that human is still alive, Ulquiorra? I thought you were better than that." Yammy roared, aggravated. "Let me give it a crack."

Ulquiorra disregarded his comrades remarks as he just watched the enraged Espada lunge towards the white haired man, viciously slamming both of his large fists into the ground where he stood, causing the earth around him to plummet upwards from the physical pressure. The dirt had settled into the air, creating a thick cloud of grime which hindered their sight. Yammy stood up straight and brought his fists back to his side.

"Damn, that guy is fast for a small human" Yammy said while staring only at the ground he destroyed with his own hands. "Come out and be a man, fight me." Yammy howled.

The dust was clearing and there were multiple silhouettes surrounding the two Espada once again. Ulquiorras eyes had settled on one in particular that resembled the man he had just fought, he could feel the hard stare of that blood red orb on his deep green globes. Once the dirt in the air had subsided, they found they were encompassed with more humans, bearing themselves with hand signs and sharp weapons.

"You're not going to trap me again with those cheap tricks of yours" Yammy stated.

"Your orders, Kakashi?" one of the humans shouted urgently toward the white haired man, although he never took his eyes off of the Espada.

"We don't want to fight you" spoke Kakashi, still staring at Ulquiorra with his lidded eyes "But we will do everything in our power if you intend to put our home in harms way."

Yammy let a bellowing cackle escape his mouth, it made the ninjas flinch and only hold their guards up higher. Yammy opened his mouth to speak at how weak and insignificant he sees the humans surrounding him but before he could get a sound out, Ulquiorra had lifted his arm, signalling Yammy to stop.

"We will leave" the pale Espada replied in his usual nonchalant tone "But I won't tell you that we that we will not return. I want the one who contains the spiritual energy of one hundred Shinigami. Even standing this distance from the village, I know it's here. We will get that even if it means crushing this trivial little place you call home." With that, Ulquiorra opened the garganta and stepped inside with Yammy who seemed agitated at Ulquiorra for not letting him exercise his muscles more. The humans watched in distress as the garganta closed.

Aizen opened his eyes, letting what he had just saw through Ulquiorras eyes resonate in his mind. "Come to think of it, where is Yammy gone? Should he not be here reporting back to me with you?" he interrogated.

"He came back feeling indignant at the fact that he didn't eliminate anyone in the world of the living." Replied the obedient Espada.

"And why did you stop him?" asked Aizen.

"Because it would have served as a handicap to our true objectives, Lord Aizen. How these humans utilize their energy and what they are capable of. We also managed to single out the idea that an individual has enough strength equivalent to one hundred Shinigami." Ulquiorra explained.

Aizen had smirked at the idea that someone can hold that much power and he wanted it. He couldn't deny that Orihime has a unique power but he had his doubts about her ability being able to restore the hogyoku to its original form. She is simply a means to entrap Ichigo and other bothersome Shinigami in Hueco Mundo. If he could somehow use that power in the world of the living and integrate it into the hogyoku, he could create something even greater than the original stone Urahara created all those years ago.

"Is there anything more you'd like to inform me of?" Aizen asked.

"Even though they're humans, I admit they are strong. They are also very strategic, it's not enough to be interpret as threatening but it is enough to be weary of. I believe that is all Lord Aizen." Ulquiorra responded.

"Thank you Ulquiorra, you're free to leave now." Aizen said still smirking. Ulquiorra dipped his head forward respectably then looked back up towards Aizen before turning around and making his way to the door.

Once the door had shut, Aizen stood up and made his way over to where he keeps the Hogyoku. _"Let's see how strategic you people really are."_ Aizen thought to himself as he sent a garganta to open in the world of the living where the two Espada had last been. _"This should be activated once it senses any spiritual energy, the one thing that binds the living and dead."_

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><p>"Tomorrow morning? We haven't got the time to waste! Why don't we just go now and save some time?" Naruto barked at Tsunade.<p>

"You brat, I just said you could go despite my better judgement, don't push it!" Tsunade spat back. "We need to summon Kakashi anyway seeing as he's in charge of this mission and more importantly, he's dealt with this enemy first hand."

"But-" Naruto started until he was cut off by a strange sensation that came over him. "Naruto?" Tsunade queried "Did you feel that just now? It's foreign… it's not from here at all."


	3. Enter Las Noches

Chapter three

_Enter Las Nachos_

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><p>"Naruto!", Tsunade called out to the blonde haired boy as he ran out of her office towards the garganta. "Idiot", she muttered while lifting herself out of her chair to stop Naruto getting to the source of the foreign energy alone.<p>

Although Naruto was fast, Tsunade was faster. Naruto turned his head to see her running next to him right before she stood before him, blocking his way and clutching his shoulder to force him to stop, her brows furrowed in frustration and worry as she stared down into turbulent blue orbs.

"We can't make any rash decisions especially if they're after you, you can't just run off by yourself like that! What're you trying to do? Run straight into a likely trap? It is definitely the same presence I felt the last time they were here but we can't say for sure it's the same people", barked Tsunade. The older woman sighed and tightly shut her eyes in a moment of contemplation while pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I can't just-"

"Yes yes, I know, sit idly by, etc. You're a ninja of Konoha, Naruto. That means you must follow the codes and conducts of what that means and trust in your comrades. At least wait for me before running off on your own. Don't single yourself out and take all the responsibility for something thats not in your control. Now, let's go."

Naruto stared up at Hokage almost in awe, the strongest ninja in the village as he let a gentle smile fall on his lips and his features soften. This quickly faded as his eyes narrowed cheekily and his smile turned into a smirk. "Did you just say we were equals Tsunade baa chan?" Naruto teased.

"Keep dreaming, kid! Are you coming or not?" retorted Tsunade as she already had her back turned towards Naruto, running towards the mass of energy.

"Hey! Wait up Tsunade baa chan!"

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><p>"Lord Aizen" Ulquiorra greeted "It appears the humans have sensed the presence of the garganta. Your instructions, sir?"<p>

"Ulquiorra." Aizen started "Let's see how this plays out, it'd be better if they came here of their own freewill, don't you think?" the former shinigami questioned with a complacent smile.

"Yes, lord Aizen."

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><p>Tsunade and Naruto reached the garganta that had been placed where the Espadas had arrived the last time, they vaguely made out a figure already standing at the strange opening. "Kakashi?" called Tsunade as she and Naruto came to a halt right behind the man.<p>

"Lady Tsunade" Kakashi greeted. "So, you felt it too from way over in the village huh?"

"Kakashi sensei" Naruto started before Tsunade could answer "You didn't tell me you fought first hand with the enemies."

"As I said Naruto, I couldn't disclose some information to you."

"What is this Kakashi?" interrupted Tsunade "Is this related to the incident that happened recently?"

"It is. I don't know exactly what this is but from what I saw, it seems as though they use this thing as some sort of transport to what they call Hueco Mundo." replied the white haired ninja.

"I see… At least this makes things easier with infiltrating their unit, frankly it would've taken all night to imitate and stabilise the energy particles needed to materialise one of those things. But I can't ignore the fact that this is all too convenient for us."

"I doubt one of these can just randomly appear, especially when a planned attack happened in this same spot. I don't trust it"

"Kakashi, make sure this is kept under strict discretion and nobody enters it. We need to make a strategy before we act but the mission is still underway tomorrow morning, this is becoming a matter of important urgency."

"Wait wait wait" Naruto began "Do we even have a team yet? I mean, Kakashi sensei is strong and you're staring at the future hokage but who knows how many freaks are over on the other side of that!"

"Well if you didn't storm out of my office, I could've filled you in with the mission details and your assigned squad" retorted Tsunade.

"Seems like our team is already here anyway. I hope you don't mind Lady Tsunade, I called them here when this thing opened."

"Heh" Tsunade let out a small smile "Looks like we can start strategising now after all Naruto."

The blonde haired boy turned around to see Guy, Hinata, Shikamaru, Yamato and Sakura running towards the gaping hole. "You guys!?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Ah so Naruto is on the team too now?" Guy stated "It's always nice having the power of youth on our side" the big browed man said as he held his thumb in the air.

"Don't you stop officially being a youth after the age of 24 though?" Yamato questioned.

"Ha ha! You're only as old as you feel my friend" Guy responded.

"N-Naruto, it's nice to have you…" Hinata greeted without making eye contact although was distracted when she all of a sudden saw Naruto rubbing a swollen lump on his head.

"Owww, Sakura why'd you do that!?" Naruto whimpered.

"You idiot, I overheard your conversation with Lady Tsunade when you ran out of the office, can't you ever just do what you're told?" Sakura lectured wrathfully.

While Sakura was jeering at Naruto, Shikamaru's attention had drifting towards the clouds "sometimes I wonder why I never went after the apple pie and white picket fence life" he thought indifferently.

"That's enough" Tsunade commanded, raising her voice to get the attention of her subordinates "There's time for chit chat later, right now there are more important matters to address, we're wasting daylight. Kakashi, since you'll be leading this mission what are your thoughts on this?"

"I think our best chance at gathering intel would be through this portal" Kakashi contributed "Although we are unaware of whether this is just a coincidence or if it was sent here on purpose, we now have a way in and our team is made up of ninja who could be tactically compatible with defeating our enemy."

After a moment of silence Tsunade nodded her head in agreement. "Seeing as you've dealt with the enemy, you know how capable our opponents are, I'm trusting you with this Kakashi. You will all be entering through the portal at first light. We'll still use the information we gathered to hold this portal open so there's no risk of you getting stuck over there"

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><p>After going through the mission details with the team, Naruto flopped over his bed on his back as he lightly patted his belly "Ah, there's nothing like Ichiraku to settle the nerves but I probably ate too much, I feel like I'm gonna explode" he thought to himself aloud, not noticing the soft glow around the nine tails seal.<p>

He got off of his bed and started to change into his pyjamas, preparing himself for a good nights sleep. As soon as the the hairs on his head grazed the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep induced by mental exhaustion from stress of the situation that was happening all too fast for him to follow properly.

"Naruto" echoed a low growl "Naruto!"

"Huh?" the blonde haired boy sleepily lifted his hand and groggily waved it side to side as if signalling whoever was calling him to quiet down.

"Naruto, don't ignore me" it growled again, more aggressively this time.

"Who…?" he asked still half asleep.

"Who else could possibly be inside your head besides me you brat."

Narutos eyes shot open, surrounded by water and grim lighting as he stood before large bars and stared into familiar angry eyes. He almost forgot this place existed within his very self, the place his father sealed the kyuubi in.

His eyes narrowed "It's weird how I could feel so awake but yet I'm still asleep" he muttered to himself as he stepped forward slightly. "What do you want? Why are you talking to me after all this time now?"

"As much as I hate being imprisoned in a prat like you, I'd take that over being used by things that aren't even of this world. I can help you defeat them Naruto, accept me."

"I know what you're trying to do and I'm not buying it this time, I'm not letting you take control again" Naruto stated with clear resolve as he let his eyes sink down to his feet remembering his attack on Sakura while he had been immersed in the nine tails cloak.

"Don't be stupid boy, every time you've undergone something you can't handle it's my chakra that sees you through. Where would you be without me? Think hard about that."

"After all these years, I'd think that you would know me better than anyone" Naruto confidently said "I don't need your power, you hear me? Because I can do this without you." The young boy stood in front of the cage as he searched through the darkness to find a trace of the kyuubi besides the crimson eyes that glowed with heavy anger towards the boy. "You're a pest, you know that? But I'm gonna make sure nobody gets to you without getting through me first" Naruto declared with an assuring grin painting the surface of his face "Don't misjudge my own power, even if I'm on my last legs I'll still find a way to take 'em out heh!"

An oddly comfortable silence fell into the conversation as the Kyuubi didn't lift his furious glare from the boy on the other side of the bars. "Don't say I didn't warn you, prat" the crimson orbs slowly faded into the darkness on the opposing side of the cage and everything seemed to fall around the blonde boy left alone in the dark. A small beeping noise was becoming louder and louder until everything became black.

Naruto opened his eyes to see he was in his room with rays of light beaming in through his window over his bed, showering his being in the first rays of light for the day. He lifted his hand and shuffled around for awhile to get his bearings so he could hush the beeping which was his alarm clock.

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><p>Tsunade stood in front of the ninjas who are assigned to the Hueco Mundo mission with the portal to the other world behind them. One by one she walked pass them as they stood in a straight line, wishing them luck as well as reminding them of their roles.<p>

"You are all specifically chosen because you all have some skill that is very valuable for this particular mission. Hinata, you have the Byakugan study the lifeforms there well. Shikamaru, you are one of the finest strategists of your generation. Yamoto, you are a member of the Anbu black ops, some of the very finest fighters in Konoha. Guy… well, your will alone ensures you for success and combined with your taijutsu skills, you're practically invincible and Sakura" she said firmly "you've grown into a fine kunoichi but don't engage unless you have to, you are the one medical nin on this team and I'd like everybody to make it back…" Tsunade stated uncharacteristically softly.

Sakura gazed up at Tsunade as she affirmatively nodded towards her teacher "Yes, my lady. I will do my best, everybody will make it back alive" the young green eyed girl said with a soft smile. Tsunade returned her smile and moved on to see Naruto just arriving and falling into line with the other shinobi.

"You knuckle head" Tsunade started off with "you seemed so keen on this mission and you're late."

"Hey old lady, a young guy like me needs his sleep!"

"What did you-"

"Where's Kakashi sensei?" Naruto interrupted while looking back and fourth over the line up.

"Hm, seems like you're not the last one here after all Naruto" Tsunade said pensively.

"Oh, I like to think I got here a few seconds before him actually" a casual voice said from behind Tsunade.

"Kakashi" Tsunade begun "I can entrust a mission to you, you've got a good head on your shoulders but I can never trust you with timing" she said while shaking her head to some degree. "But never mind that, you have a mission to get to."

Kakashi lifted his shoulders into a shrug "I got stuck helping an elderly woman with her shopping bags" he lied with curved eyes showing a smile although it quickly faded as his lidded orbs hardened once again as he nodded in agreement with the Hokages statement "But yes lady Tsunade, we should probably get going now. If time is still the same over on their side then we better hope they aren't morning people."

Tsunade let out a slight chuckle and a hint of a smile. "Now get going, the earlier the better" she said with an unwavering tone.

Kakashi mimicked the way his opponent entered the portal before any of the other shinobi, when he stepped inside he was faced with an infinite smothering darkness. Ignoring this, he turned to his comrades and nodded in assurance. "Let's go" he commanded.

Guy ran towards Kakashi and entered the portal "Don't worry, I've got your back old friend" he said confidently as the lidded eyed shinobi was already running ahead of him "Hey, wait!" Guy called out to him.

"Well, I guess we better get this over and done with" Yamoto said as he ran into the portal with Hinata, Shikamaru and Sakura following.

"See ya Tsunade baa chan, this'll be sorted before you know it" Naruto called out over his shoulder with one last wave to the older woman as he ran into the darkness of the large vortex. Tsunade smiled softly at his goodbye. _"I think I made the right decision"_ she thought to herself.

* * *

><p>"So it seems they did come after all." Aizen addressed the Espada as he felt the Shinobis distinct presence as soon as they entered the garganta.<p>

"Lord Aizen, what do you want us to do now? I still have unfinished business with those types." Yammy said trying to control his tone when speaking to their king.

"Don't worry Yammy, once we find out which one of them we need you can dispose of the others. That goes for all of you, for now, we let them find us."

"Pft" Grimmjow scoffed "I bet they aren't even that strong. But it should be fun to watch them battle Ichigo if they happened to run into each other."

"How obtuse" muttered a woman with short blonde hair and beaming green orbs "They'd probably kill each other off with their preconceived impressions of all beings who exist in Hueco Mundo."

* * *

><p>"Theres something there" Kakashi exclaimed to his squad "I think it's an exit."<p>

"It seems to be clear from where we are but we better prepare ourselves" Shikamaru replied.

"Byakugan!" Hinata activated her clans special ability "If something comes up, I'll let you guys know but because another one of my clan members couldn't detect chakra points when they came to Konoha last, I can't guarantee I'll know for certain."

"That's okay Hinata, just let us know if there's anything you can see up ahead" Kakashi assured.

"This should be interesting Kakashi, it's been awhile since we've been on a mission this mysterious" Guy stated.

"Everyone, we're getting closer" Yamato confirmed "we could come out the side any moment."

"Gotcha" Shikamaru responded quietly, concentrating hard on different scenarios that could happen once they break through the end of the portal. _"Oh man, this is such a drag"_ he thought before preparing for an attack.

"Are you okay Sakura?" Naruto asked quietly as they ran together at the back of the group.

"Yeah, I'm okay" she replied gazing down "I just hope no one gets hurt, I don't know what type of damage these guys can do."

"Don't worry Sakura, I won't let anything like that happen and you're a great medical nin! Trust me." Naruto comforted with a large smile and determined blue orbs that almost lit the darkness they ran through.

The pink haired Kunoichi felt motivated to move forward with her comrades "Thank you, Naruto" she said returning his smile.

"Everybody get ready" Kakashi demanded as they were immersed in a light while they passed straight out through the portal. They all stood armed and ready but to their surprise and suspicion, they were standing in front of a large structure, almost like a fortress in the middle of a desert like land.

"The name Hueco Mundo really does this place justice…" Shikamaru said under his breath, taking care not to draw any unwanted attention.

Everything fell still and silent, the land was dry and cold, it almost felt like what they thought death would be like. Hinata broke the silence as her eyes widened and she gasped, trying to suppress the noise. "I can see faint Chakra points coming this way, three of them."

* * *

><p>AN: Hey everybody, so I hope you enjoyed this chapter :D I sort of just have fun with writing this and make things up as I go so I apologise if anything is inaccurate or doesn't make sense at times, I'll try correct it later haha ^_^ Trying to add a few more characters in there too :3 Anyway, thank you for reading! :3


	4. Encounters

A/N: The fourth chapter! :D I hope you like it, I don't really know how I feel about this one :\ I had no idea what to call this chapter that didn't give anything away haha :3 Anyway, I hope it's not too OOC for most of them :3 Enjoy! :D (Once again, apologies for inaccurate info)

* * *

><p>Chapter four<p>

_Encounters_

"It feels like we've been running for ages" Uryuu exclaimed.

"Geez Ichigo, first we offer to take you to Los Noches ourselves then you complain about how long it's taking! Rude!" Pesche breathlessly called over his shoulder as he high fived his large companion.

"Yeah! This endangers us too, don'tcha know?!" Dondochakka contributed.

_*Silence*_

"Did you really just mistake me with Ichigo?" Uryuu asked offended.

"Hey, what would be so bad about that!? Take it as a compliment" joked Ichigo.

"What wouldn't be bad about that!?" Uryuu joked back with a hint of honesty.

"We're getting close!" Nel cried while drooling over Ichigo's shoulder.

The group had increased their speed as they approached a large building, with blue skies that couldn't mask the true villainous intentions that hid inside. "Ichigo!" Rukia called out to the boy with the orange hair while she came to a halt in the sand.

"What is it Rukia? We don't have time to rest." Ichigo called back while he continued to stride forward but was suddenly forced to stop when the small shinigami was in front of him and stared deep into his glazed over bronze orbs with a vigilant look. "Rukia…" he regarded her for a moment "I told you, we haven't got the time for this, we need to save Orihime!"

"Dammit Ichigo" Rukia started "Are you blind? If you look hard enough, you should be able to make it out" she said more calmly as she averted her gaze through the sand that impeded their view until hey eyes fixed onto something.

"She's right Ichigo, I don't know about you but I can see it as clear as a shinigami could through all this smut" Renji agreed.

Ichigo concentrated hard through the sand and his gaze soon met six figures standing on the other side of the sand.

"What? What!? Nel can't see anything…" the small arrancar stated as she narrowed her eyes, drooling in concentration as her two masked companions whispered questioningly next to her.

"Wait, quiet" Uryuu said "I see what you mean Rukia. Their figures look like ordinary people but that's practically impossible isn't it?"

"Well, we're here aren't we?" Ichigo responded in a small voice.

"Yeah but that's different."

"How is it?" Ichigo retorted "Even though we have these abilities, I still consider myself human. But why would anyone possibly having a reason for coming to a place like this?"

"They could say the same about us." Chad remarked, the first words he's spoken in awhile.

"Nel still can't see" the small Arrancar contributed as Pesche and Dondochakka nodded in agreement. "Absolutely ridiculous! Who cares! If they're people whats the worry!? Let's just keep going!" the slim masked man exclaimed.

"Why you-" Uryuu started.

"Oh lets just go" Renji declared "We'll deal with it when we get there, right now they seem like no big deal."

"Renji!" Rukia called after him as he continued to run through the hazardous grime "Fine, let's go" she called out to the others as they all steadily ran towards the mysterious figures.

* * *

><p>"They're getting closer" Hinata said quietly while narrowing her eyes "they seem like they have been in battle, their chakra flow looks like it's been stimulating for awhile."<p>

"Hinata" Kakashi voiced "Are you sure there's only three?" he asked as he lifted his headband to reveal the rare sharingan.

"Only?" Yamoto echoed "I think three is far more than enough for us, don't you think?"

"Oh come on Yamato, Tsunade said it herself we've been chosen because we possess unique skills worthy enough to face the enemy with. We got this!" Guy said with an assured tone as he flashed his shiny pearls at the team.

"Heh yeah! That's the spirit Guy sensei!" Naruto replied riled up and ready to battle as he returned Guy's infamous grin while Yamoto and Kakashi exchanged an awkward glance at their team mates comical enthusiasm.

"We're goners" muttered Shikamaru under his breath as Sakura and Hinata silently agreed.

"They're almost here, their chakra points are getting more visible" Hinata said as she raised her voice and peered through the smut, trying to catch a glimpse of their physical forms. Everyone had braced themselves as they stared intently through the sand, trying to identify any form of life that resided in the wasteland.

* * *

><p>"Nel is meeting many humans today" the small Arrancar excitedly voiced while sitting on the substitute Shinihami's shoulder. "Nel can see them now!"<p>

The six figures came into view and the dust had cleared. The diverse group stood in front of the figures as they examined them and in returned was being analysed themselves. Tension had settled and an uncomfortable silence fell over the two different groups.

"A-Are you serious!?" Renji exclaimed, breaking the silence. "They are just plain, ordinary, boring, mundane, weak humans!"

"What did you say!?" Naruto stepped forward irritated before Kakashi blocked his path using his arm while Sakura scoffed at Naruto's outspoken idiocy.

"You heard me pipsqueak" Renji retorted.

"Renji!" Rukia voiced in a firm tone.

"Who are you!?" Ichigo curiously asked raising his voice_ "Or what"_ he thought to himself when he took note of how they were dressed and how they almost looked inhuman _"A red eye, a guy with whiskers, the chick with the piercing eyes, who are these guys?"_

The shinigami's companions stood back as they stared in disbelief at the vulnerable looking humans that stood before them.

_"They don't look like the enemy we fought before"_ thought Kakashi as he examined the odd looking group. He had scanned over each individual, counting as he went along _"six, seven, eight… eight individuals but only three with chakra points? Which ones are human?"_ he thought as he narrowed his eyes, hoping his sharingan would show him something, anything to do with the enemy.

Shikamaru glanced at Hinata, counting on her byakugan to answer their questions. She had been concentrating hard, carefully trying to unearth every part of their human energies until her eyes had locked onto one of the men in a black robe and strange orange coloured hair. _"That guys hair is as bright as Narutos."_ Shikamaru thought to himself. _"If only there was some way to know what you were thinking, Hinata."_

"I asked you a question" Ichigo said a little aggressively this time. "Tell me."

"We are Shinobi of the Konoha" Kakashi started still holding back the blonde haired boy "We were attacked not long ago by…" he trailed off, trying to find the words to explain what exactly those things even were. One of them? No, couldn't be. The white haired shinobi's team had looked to him with assorted expressions but all wondering the same thing. His features exposed a quick look of frustration and anxiety, letting the realisation that their attackers weren't even human finally hit him.

As if reading their team leaders thoughts, the marks that lined Naruto's face in frustration had slowly ceased. "If a creature like the Kyuubi can exist and be sealed inside a guy like me" he began while raising his thumb to point to his stomach "then I guess guys like this can too and we'll defeat them just like my old man did this thing."

Kakashi turned to look at Naruto wide eyed while he slowly let his arm rest at his side. He turned his gaze to his comrades and saw Shikmaru give the blonde haired boy a confident nod then his pink haired student smile assuredly at her friend and he couldn't even miss Hinata's loss of concentration as a rosy tint had painted her pale cheeks. Guy and Yamato still stared at the strange group in front of them but Kakashi could always recognise when they were getting serious.

He stared back to the orange haired boy in front of him, patiently waiting for his answer. His lidded eyes were calm and collected and stared right into the deep brown orbs before him "What do you know about the people with the masks on their faces, a bit like your friend over there" he said while he averted his gaze to Pesche.

"Whaa? Me?!" Pesche asked while flailing his arms in anxiety.

"Don't pick on Pesche, he's not like them don'tcha know?!" Dondachakka tearfully intervened while comforting his small companion.

"Are these guys for real?" Shikamaru muttered raising one eyebrow.

The companions of the masked figures stared embarrassingly at the two arrancars for a moment before returning their attention back to their mysterious guests.

"Don't mind our friends over there" Uryuu began as he stepped forward to view the people properly.

"Friends?" the two arrancars looked up at the Quincy in awe not noticing the slight narrowing of Uryuus eyes in embarrassment.

"It's obvious you're just ordinary humans and from the sound of it, it sounds like you had a run in with an arrancar" he explained while pushing his glasses up his bridge slightly. _"Why would Aizen want to investigate such a minuscule thing like that though?"_ he pondered to himself but quickly pushed it aside when his curiosity got the best of him "Do you know why? And how did you get here?"

"Why are you even bothering, we should just send them back to the human world they'll just get in the way." Renii exclaimed impatiently.

"Don't speak about us like we're not here!" Naruto interrupted "If you know anything about those guys, you're gonna tell us right now."

"Yeah? Or what?" Renji responded mockingly.

Naruto had summoned a shadow clone too quickly for the shinigami to even fathom what he was doing. "Or I'll make you!" the blonde haired boy called out running towards the red haired man while a blue light was forming in his hands "Rasengan!"

"What does he think he's-" Renji cried but had quickly sprinted out of the way, sensing this was not a normal attack or a normal human for that matter.

"Naruto!" Kakashi called taking a step forward but stopped when he heard the small purple eyed girl say something only just audible.

"Bind! The wandering knave. Bakudo #1: Sai!" Rukia had distanced herself from the enraged boy before using a kido spell to lock his hands behind his back. The blonde haired boy had lost his footing and sunk into the sand before his rasengan had slowly diminished and his clone had dispersed.

Nel had whimpered behind Ichigo, clinging onto his back.

"I can't move" Naruto choked as he struggled to free himself in the sand.

"Naruto!" Sakura ran towards the blonde haired boy and knelt down beside him to try sit him up. "What did you do to him!?"

"Calm down, he'll be fine. I only bound him to stop him from attacking stupidly. We're not the enemy, we didn't know about any attacks on any other place but Karakura Town. As Uryuu previously said, they are Arrancars. We're taking care of this, you should leave." Rukia said assertively before turning her back to address Renji. "And you" she began "Think before you speak, that was no ordinary attack" she said more quietly this time while Renji narrowed his eyes.

"We can't go back now, Kakashi" Guy uttered to his old friend, still not averting his gaze from the strange people.

"Agreed" Yamato encouraged "We can't trust anyone we meet here."

"What do you think?" Guy asked just before turning to Kakashi and flashing a smile "Besides, we can't let them have all the fun."

"Exactly my thoughts" the white haired man replied to his two comrades.

"Look" Kakashi called to the enemy "We're not here for you. These things you call Arrancars invaded our home and threatened to destroy it, leaving several good people hurt. We're not leaving till we got done what we came here to do." he concluded with resolute eyes.

Rukia turned herself back to face the white haired man "You don't-" she began until interrupted by the orange haired boy who had silently observed them until now.

"I understand" Ichigo stated "If you're serious about this then let's stop wasting time and keep moving instead of causing a commotion right outside of Aizens headquarters, we're sitting ducks like this."

"Ichigo" Rukia began "Do you know what you're doing?"

"I do Rukia" Ichigo responded, still staring at the white haired man before him.

"I agree with Ichigo" Chad spoke "We're all here for the same reasons."

"Why should we go with you?" Naruto called out, his voice strained from trying to free himself of Rukia's kido while Sakura was helping him stand.

"I can't tell you that" Ichigo replied "I don't care how you see it but we have the same goal and I may not look it, but I'm just as human as you are."

A silence fell over the group until Shikamaru spoke up "We'll have a better chance in higher numbers. But before you underestimate us and try to pull something, just consider yourself warned already" he assured nonchalantly. "Kakashi?"

The team leader had nodded in agreement, his red globe still gleaming at their new allies. "Do you know why they came for us?"

"We have no clue" Uryuu spoke, still curious about the strange group especially after seeing that boy with such a lethal attack.

_"Then they don't know about Naruto"_ Kakashi thought relieved.

"We'll explain the situation to you on the way and you can see where you fit" Renji addressed the white haired man "It's like Ichigo said, we're sitting ducks out here causing a scene."

"So, you're had a change of heart huh?" Yamato questioned.

"If you've all got moves like that idiot over there then I guess you won't be too much of a liability after all." the red haired Shinigami replied.

"Then let's get going" Kakashi confirmed. With that, the new formed alliance had ran forward and into the large structure they had stood outside of while, discussing their situation with one another. "Hurry up, Naruto!" Sakura called behind her shoulder.

* * *

><p>The blonde boy lagged behind still trying to undo the kido while muttering to himself "Dammit!" he exclaimed "I'm getting out of this thing!" The group had continued to run forward, too absorbed into who this Aizen character was, not noticing Naruto trying to break free except for Rukia who stood between the two groups and watched the boy struggle.<p>

"It's no use" she began "I'm not-" her voice caught in her throat as her eyes widened and she watched the boy release a shockingly large amount of red reiatsu and free his arms from behind his back _"What?!"_ she thought in disbelief. _"I haven't seen anything like this since Ichigo… He shouldn't be able to break that, let alone release all of that reiatsu. Is this why Aizen has taken an interest in these people?"_

The blonde haired boy stretched his arms out before running past Rukia to catch up to the others "Heh, that was too easy shorty!" he called out over his shoulder to her just before sticking his tongue out and turning back to the group, just catching up.

Rukia had snapped out of her pensive state and caught up with the group in nothing short of a flash step, in front of Naruto. "How annoying" she muttered. _"Not to be underestimated?"_ she thought remembering Shikamaru's words _"That would be wise"_ she pondered as she continued running with Ichigo and the others, listening into Renji filling in their new allies about Orihime's capture.

The group had approached a five way fork, each leading to different fates. "Dammit" Naruto expressed in frustration.

"This is so typical in buildings like this, what a drag" Shikamaru contributed.

"Hey Dondachakka, I like this guy" Pesche said with folded arms. Shikamaru shuddered subtly.

Another silence crept over the individuals as they observed the pathways presented to them, strategising their next move. Kakashi opened his mouth to speak but before he could say anything, walls fell down around them, boxing them into smaller groups almost as if their paths had been chosen for them.

"Kakashi sensei! Sakura! Hinata? Everyone!" Naruto yelled from behind one wall while trying to break the thick barrier in front of him. "Can you hear me?"

"Naruto!" Sakura cried "I can hear you, what happened?"

"Calm down everyone" Kakashi said calmly.

"He's right, panicking won't get you anywhere" Naruto heard from behind him. He turned his head to see Renji and Rukia standing with arms crossed over their chest.

"Aren't you guys worried about your friends?!" Naruto responded angrily.

"Naruto" Hinata said while running over to him "What happened?"

"Hinata! I'm so glad you're here" Naruto said relieved, causing a slight blush creep up through her cheeks. "I don't know, it seems like someone knows we're here."

"Is everyone alright?" Ichigo called.

"We're fine" Uryuu replied.

Shikamaru furrowed his brows when he realised he was boxed in with Uryuu and the slim Arrancar. "Like I thought, typical" he muttered to himself annoyed.

"Then I guess we'll just group off like this" Ichigo exclaimed.

"What?!" Sakura turned from the wall to look at Ichigo standing behind her with a small arrancar on his shoulder but then spotted Yamato trying to break through the wall opposite to her. "Captain Yamato!" she called and ran over to him.

"It seems like we haven't got a choice…" he uttered almost disappointed. "Don't worry Sakura, I'm sure we'll meet the others when we get on the other side of the path."

"We have no other way" Guy spoke to Kakashi before they heard a whirl from the wall next to them.

"Rasengan!"

"Naruto wait!" Kakashi called urgently "If the wall doesn't break, that could hurt anyone you're enclosed with, stop right now!"

The whirling wind died down. "Dammit" Naruto exclaimed as his frustration echoed through the building.

"Well, at least we're in this together Kakashi!" Guy stated as he put his arm around his old friend "And we can get to know our knew buddies" he smirked and looked over to Dondachakka and Chad.

Kakashi narrowed his lidded eyes in embarrassment "Like always" he responded while Guy grinned, hearing the smile his friend spoke with.

"Let's keep moving then" Renji addressed everyone as he turned towards the path and entered while Rukia followed.

"Right" Ichigo replied and determinedly began running through his assigned path. Sakura and Yamato exchanged a look and followed the orange haired Shinigami.

The sound of footsteps had slowly silenced and everyone had felt further away from each other, uncomfortable with the unfamiliarity of their new allies and unknown territory. Naruto ran through the white corridors behind Renji and Rukia in silence while Hinata ran next to him. Their footsteps had been all he'd been listening to as they carried on in silence, almost forming a musical composition. This steady beat was disrupted by a slow crescendo as if light footfalls were approaching them. It got louder as it got closer until Naruto realized it wasn't just the four of them on this pathway.

"Wait" he said concentrated as the others stopped.

"Naruto?" Hinata asked while the two Shinigami stared at the boy in both curiosity and annoyance.

"Someones coming" he confirmed as his brows furrowed and he stared ahead, making out a silhouette at the end of the path.

"Looks like he's right" Renji agreed.

"Byakugan" Hinata exclaimed, activating her clans legacy. "He hasn't got any chakra points, this could be the enemy Kakashi sensei fought."

Rukia and Renji exchanged a curious look, wondering what they were talking about and most of all how on earth a human survived if they battled an Arrancar. How did the soul society not know of people like this?

And by the looks of it, not just an Arrancar but an Espada. Rukia's eyes had widened as the silhouette had come into view. "You took Orihime" she exclaimed while narrowing her purple orbs dangerously, clutching the head of her Zanpakuto.

* * *

><p>AN: Well, that's it for chapter four, I hope it was alright as I said, not sure how to feel about this one 0: Hahah but yeah, I hope you enjoyed reading it! :D And also, sorry for inaccurate information, I haven't seen Bleach in ages so my info is way off 0: And I'm straying off the story now so hopefully it's a little more interesting :3

Thanks for reading! ^_^


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